pat o’brien’s

another must-do while in n'awlins is pat o'brien's. this is the bar that invented the hurricane drink, so of course they make them better than any one else in town. the open courtyard scattered with lush green plants and fancy fountains was the perfectplaceto spend a few late afternoon hours.

have you ever had a hurricane drink? you know, the drink in the signature glass with rum, fruit juice and syrup or grenadine?. that was started at a bar called pat o'brien's during world war ii in new orleans. and it is a signature drink of the city. the most popular drink with visitors to the french quarter may just be the sweet red hurricane, served with a big old cherry and a juicy orange slice. this local libation was created with rum at pat o’brien’s bar during world war ii when whiskey was hard to come by. the name for the drink came from the glass it’s served in that resembles a hurricane lamp. a perfectplaceto sip a hurricane is still in pat o’s legendary courtyard, overlooking the flaming fountain. you can find them elsewhere around the city as well, and most bartenders will be happy to mix you one. also try the frozen varieties at drive-thru daiquiri stands and in the french market. (source)

beautiful garden, friendly staff, niceplaceto chill out. hurricanes are bad ass. after a beautiful afternoon walk, it was really nice to taste delicious cocktails. next time i will try some food too.

great courtyard and the onlyplacefor a good hurricane. it's not my favorite...not fond of overly-sweet drinks, but there is so much more! the bloody marys are quite fine here, with a bit of kick - i think made with absolute peppar vodka.

the reality is that it is hard finding something new to say after the multitude of solid reviews, but i will offer up a few pointers:

1) however alluring the courtyard is (and it is the bestplaceto drink!!!), remember the drink prices are different in the bar (cheapest), the dueling piano bar, and most expensive in the courtyard.

2) remember that the hurricanes, and many other drinks in fancy stemware, come with the souvenir glass they are served in, so if you don't want to keep the glass, return it to the bar area and you get your deposit back (2 or 3 dollars per glass returned!!!)

3) the food is mediocre when compared to the high class cuisine all around the quarter. this is theplaceto enjoy the courtyard or dueling pianos and a bit of drinking.

4) the waiters share areas. don't fret over finding "your waiter." grab anyone in a green jacket. they will be more than happy to take your order. they usually want you to pay as you go here, because of the high volume, touristy nature of the place, the shared areas, and frankly the high liquor content in those hurricanes.

5) don't get stuck on the sweet hurricanes. try some of the other specialty drinks! the cyclone is ok. the fuzzy leprechaun and bloody mary are better!

6) the bathrooms are less than stellar, and the main women's bathroom is upstairs (although there is another option downstairs, just ask someone in a green jacket). however rudimentary they are, use them before you leave. then when one of your friends who didn't read this review, didn't heed the warning, and didn't tinkle at pat o'briens is walking back to your hotel and yells "i have to pee" you can do the "i told ya so" dance. most places will make you buy another drink just to use their bathroom. crafty trick, huh?

i love this place! the drinks are awesome, the atmosphere is beautiful! the staff is friendly, it is a greatplaceto get away from the madness of bourbon! i refuse to drink hurricanes anywhere else, and i always take home hurricane mix!

first of all no beer on tap! whats up with that? (but we were in the food section, maybe they have it in the drinks only?)the bloody mary wings were not good.placeseemed very touristy. however everyone there seemed in good spirits & staff was friendly.

mustplaceto stop and have there hurricane drink! we liked it but kids under age cannot enter.

bourbon street cajun. i was stopping through nola with a friend. we were in the french quarter looking for someplaceto grab lunch, and we saw pat o'brien's. i guess someone had told her that it was amazing and we had to go so we stopped in. it was nice so we sat outdoors. the atmosphere was really great, really old world. heads up: no separate checks. the service was a bit slow at first and came off as rude initially, but ended up being ok. prices weren't too bad, and there was a good selection of local cajun cuisine. i had the gator bites and the crawfish cakes. both were fantastic, lots of flavor, and great portion sizes. also, being nola, there's a massive drink list. it's almost assumed you go there and get hammered. there's a $3 charge per glass on yur check since they're souvenirs that you can walk out and onto the street with but if you want yur money back, just return them to the bar for cash... def worth stopping in if you're in the area.

great atmosphere to have a few drinks. the piano bar is really a nice experience and the fountain courtyard is the perfectplaceto unwind and sit back with friends and drink a few.

new orleans trio. i really have no complaints. the husband and i just returned from a trip to nola and had dinner here. we went on a saturday around 830ish and didn't have to wait to be seated. our server greeted us quickly even though theplacewas pretty packed. hurricane of course was great, tried the catfish as an appetizer and they were fabulous. the new orleans trio with red beans, etoufee and gumbo= gumbo was seasoned very well although it did taste a little different- not bad at all, just different that i'm used to being born and raised in lafayette. the etoufee was not my favorite and the red beans were delish, add some sausage to it and it would be surperb! great place! i'd give it an 8/10

keep the glass. i ordered a bloody mary, a hurricane and crawfish etouffee for lunch (which my brother suggested). the service is a little slow and not very friendly. they're not mean but i was expecting a little more professionalism.

the crawfish etouffee was pretty good and tasty. it was a little soupy in texture but the flavor was good. the hurricane was really strong compared to the others i got throughout the city. i kept the glass and it makes for a nice souvenir. it's a pretty goodplaceto stop by but keep your expectations in check.

theplaceis nice but food wasn't that great. novelty of the restaurant was great but probably not going back. but its burbon street so overall it was cool

niceplacefor sone cocktails but eat somewhere else. the food service was horrendous.

best hurricanes!. of course, thisplaceis known for having great hurricanes. the food is good too. i have been multiple times and tried different things. the alligator bites and fried shrimp are the best.

one of the best in new orleans. thisplacehas some of the best food. their muffalletta sandwich is huge and delicious. atmosphere is very authentic and romantic. the hurricane drink they serve is very good as well. big thumbs up!